Theme: Yes, and...

Each year we come up with an abstract theme that gives us a lot of latitude when it comes to selecting ideas and speakers. This year we chose "Yes and..."

"Yes and…” is a guiding principle of Improv that promotes inclusion. The Yes explains the situation, while the And allows the listener to add their own experience to the talk, and take action.

The New Vic Theater
33 W Victoria St
Santa Barbara, California, 93101
United States

Chloe Howard

Student

Chloe Howard is on a mission to empower people of all ages to embrace their uniqueness and boldly face their beautiful selves. Born with a foot deformity, Chloe had five major operations by the time she was 14. She endured casting, braces, orthotics and years of physical therapy so she could participate like a typical child. She struggled with depression and shame and spent months questioning her self worth. Out of that pain, Chloe finally realized her worth comes from within. Today, Chloe is the voice of Standbeautiful.me, an anti-bullying movement promoting the acceptance of self and others. Chloe believes that when we love and accept ourselves we are less likely to inflict pain and shame on others. When she is not busy advocating for tolerance and self-love, Chloe is happy being 16. She enjoys school, hanging out with friends, playing board games with her family, and is learning how to drive.

Deconstructing Barbara

Performance Troupe

Deconstructing Barbara is a Santa Barbara, CA-based improv team based out of Santa Barbara Improv. The team is made up of Amy Nash, Garrett Blair, and Evan Asher. Deconstructing Barbara makes up decades of improv comedy, performances and acting experience. They are teachers, trainers, and directors in improvisational arts and are professionals at creating the stories you never know didn't occur.

Doc Searls

Journalist, Activist, Author

Doc Searls is editor-in-chief of Linux Journal, author of The Intention Economy: When Customers Take Charge (Harvard Business Review Press, 2012), co-author of The Cluetrain Manifesto (Basic Books, 2000), a fellow with the Center for Information Technology & Society at UC-Santa Barbara, co-founder of Customer Commons, and director of ProjectVRM, based at Harvard's Berkman-Klein Center for Internet and Society, where he is an alumnus fellow. He is also a pioneering blogger, a photographer whose photos accompany hundreds of Wikipedia articles, and a member of the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce). Thomas L. Friedman calls Doc "one of the most respected technology writers in America.”

Garrett TeSlaa

Law Enforcement Veteran + Podcaster

Garrett TeSlaa is a 13-year veteran of law enforcement in California; and the host of the podcast The Squad Room, about personal development and leadership for first responders around the world. During his service, Garrett has spent time in patrol, community services, gang enforcement, investigations, and court services. In 2013 he was promoted to the rank of sergeant. In 2011 Garrett completed his Master’s in Public Administration with an Emphasis in Public Sector Management Leadership at California State University at Northridge and is a recent graduate of the Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute. Beginning his service, Garrett attended the Ventura County Criminal Justice Training Academy where he was selected as Class Sergeant and won the F. Morton Pitt Memorial Award of Leadership.

Harry Grammer

Civic Innovator for Youth Justice

Harry Grammer is an activist, scholar, and poet who founded New Earth in 2002 and since then has been an integral part of reforming the juvenile justice nationwide system. In 2017, New Earth was honored as Non-Profit of the Year by California Senator Holly Mitchell and Harry was honored as a CNN Hero. In 2018, Harry was selected as an inaugural Obama Foundation Fellow. As the Founder and President, Harry brings his leadership and visionary spirit with a background in teaching poetry, advocacy to incarcerated and at-risk youth. Harry has personally worked directly worked with over 15,000 youth since the inception of the organization. In addition to developing and teaching core curriculum, and designing new programs, Harry also trains and manages New Earth staff. He has a stellar track record with an 83% success rate in keeping the youth he works with on a path of productivity. Harry is currently a Ph.D. candidate in psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara.

Holly Lohuis

Ocean Explorer/Marine Biologist

Holly is a marine biologist and ocean explorer and has appeared in Jean-Michel Cousteau’s documentaries over the past two decades, including co star of the IMAX film, ‘Secret Ocean 3D’. She is a featured diver and on camera biologist for 11 hours of the PBS series, “Jean-Michel Cousteau Ocean Adventures.” Her degree is in aquatic biology from UC Santa Barbara and she is a PADI Dive Master and SCUBA Instructor. As a member of Jean-Michel Cousteau’s expedition team since 1996, Holly acts as a liaison between the team and scientists, confirming the factual accuracy of Ocean Futures Society’s documentaries and publications. Holly has also been a marine educator for over 27 years. For ten years she worked as a naturalist with Island Packers, Channel Islands National Park boat concessionaire. She also worked with Passage Productions-Live Dive program on cruise ships in the Caribbean, Pacific, Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.

Ian Bentley

CEO and Co-Founder of Parker Clay

Ian Bentley is the co-founder and CEO of Parker Clay, a luxury leather company making products in Ethiopia. Ian and his family moved to Ethiopia in 2012 to help support vulnerable women and children and it was there they founded Parker Clay as a way to further transform the community through trade. Parker Clay is deeply committed to producing every product ethically and sustainably without compromising on quality, while focused on creating job opportunities that empower vulnerable women to not just survive but thrive. A native of the Santa Barbara area, Ian and his wife Brittany along with their 5 children now live back in Santa Barbara after recently living in Ethiopia for 3 years.

Jeff Babko

Forward thinking musician type and Musical Director of Jimmy Kimmel Live

Keyboardist Jeff Babko is a native of Southern California. After graduating from University Of Miami, Babko immediately began touring the world with various acts. Television work began with Martin Short’s talk show in 1999. For the past 15+ years, Babko has been the musical arranger, a composer, and band member on ABC TV’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live”. He was also a composer and orchestra member of the Emmys orchestra for 5 years. Babko has been the touring musical director and accompanist for Mr. Short since 2002, and also performs with Short & Steve Martin. Their popular Netflix special was released in May 2018. He has recorded and toured with Sheryl Crow, and also since 2003 has played and recorded with James Taylor. Babko can also be heard on records by Jason Mraz, Frank Ocean, Alanis Morrisette, Smokey Robinson and Willie Nelson Babko has four solo albums out under his own name, including 2012’s critically acclaimed “Crux”, and he hosted a podcast called "The Caffeinated Keyboardist".

Jennifer Bascom

Improv comedian, writer, and improv coach

Jennifer Bascom is an improv comedian, writer, and improv coach. She has appeared on TV programs including True Beauty, World Cup Comedy, Jimmy Kimmel, Attack of the Show, and The Bachelor (as an improv instructor). She appears on the Facebook Live show The Greeting Card Critic and is a member of the all female improvised Shakespeare show, Shrew. Jen has also appeared in numerous commercials. Jen has worked on various projects with Disney Imagineering, Second City Theatricals, ComedySportzLA, Comedy Central stage, Disney’s Comedy Warehouse, ioWest, RI Shakespeare Co, and off-Broadway. In addition to performing, Jen coaches improv workshops around the globe, from Fortune 500 companies, to TV writers programs, to the royal family of Qatar. It is her mission to share the super-power skills of improv like:: active listening, making other people look good, commitment, awareness, and "yes, and…” These basic human skills encourage communication, innovation, connection, inclusion, and joy.

Kelton Temby

Engineer, Citizen Scientist

Kelton Temby is an engineer, beekeeper and the founder of Eyesonhives a honey bee health monitoring project with the mission of enabling sustainable agriculture. Kelton left rural Australia to become a medical robotics engineer to help doctors treat patients remotely. Kelton has led product developments for telehealth advances, and is named as an inventor in over 20 patents. When 20,000 bees unexpectedly took over his backyard, he was inspired to apply remote patient monitoring approaches to see how we could help the struggling honey bee, and founded Eyesonhives with a team of engineers and scientists. Eyesonhives is now used by researchers and beekeepers around the world, and has accumulated the largest honey bee data-set yet collected.

Kevin Ward

Real Estate Coach, Hero Trainer

Kevin Ward considers himself still a shy country boy and a recovering victim of bullying. Today he is an author and speaker who trains real estate agents how to make money and have a life. “Most important, I help people find the courage to stand up and fight for their dreams.”

Michael Lombardi

Writer-Podcast Host

Michael Lombardi is a former General Manager and three-time Super Bowl-winning executive, after thirty years working for the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, the Oakland Raiders, and the Cleveland Browns. He has a top-ten sports podcast, GM Street, is on the Ringer podcast network. Belichick once said of Lombardi: Mike’s one of the smartest people I know,” “He’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever worked with and was a huge asset to me for the two years that he was here. He studies football, and he knows it very well. I would say on probably all teams.” Lombardi’s body of knowledge 35 years in the making. He has more than three decades of experience in professional football, as a coach, executive, and media analyst. His coaching and front office career have included jobs with the San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns (where he was the general manager and director of player personnel) and New England Patriots.

Sam Kadi

Syrian born-American filmmaker

Syrian born-American filmmaker, Sam Kadi is the writer, director, and producer of critically acclaimed feature drama THE CITIZEN, starring Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride). Kadi’s recent documentary LITTLE GANDHI was Syria's first official Oscar entry for Best Foreign Language Film. Kadi was invited to screen LITTLE GANDHI and to speak before the U.S. Congress, Members of the United Nations, Amnesty International, and the Canadian Parliament where Kadi met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Kadi has been recognized by the prestigious Cinema For Peace organization for raising awareness of human rights issues through films and was asked to speak on the same subject before the International Criminal Court at The Hague, The Netherlands. Kadi was presented with a Humanitarian Service Award by the Life for Relief and Development Organization. In 2014, the SHOAH Foundation, founded by acclaimed director Steven Spielberg, recognized Kadi and chose him as a Spotlight Juror.

Tim Bauer

Author

“Tinier Tim” Bauer is less than half the man he used to be. After spending 31 years struggling with morbid obesity, he transformed his life, losing more than 225 pounds in just over 1 year through diet and exercise and now helps other obese individuals do the same. Tim’s approach to overcoming obesity is to focus on one step at a time, reminding his clients that he didn’t lose 225 pounds, he lost one pound 225 times. His greatest accomplishment is that his daughters are now able to sit in his lap without his belly getting in the way and wrap their arms completely around him. Tim’s blog, TinierTim.com, his personal weight loss story, and his approach to fitness and life have appeared in many publications, including the Wall Street Journal, and on the inaugural episode of TLC’s hit series Skin Tight.

Traver Boehm

Author, Transformational Coach

Traver Boehm is an author, speaker, and transformational coach currently practicing intentional homelessness. When Traver was a child he wanted to be a ninja – that was all. Swimming and playing water polo for Boston College, while earning a B.A. in Asian Philosophy, led to a Master’s degree in Tradition Chinese Medicine from Yo-San University and a career in Mixed Martial Arts. Opening CrossFit Pacific Coast in 2009 brought him to beautiful Santa Barbara. Traver’s latest venture – The Year to Live Project – will encompass the entirety of 2016 and seeks to tackle the personal question, “What would you do if it were your last year alive?” The project has led him to volunteering in a hospice in Santa Fe, sitting in meditative silence and isolation while in complete darkness for 28 straight days in Guatemala, and will next take him to the woods of Utah to survive with only a knife, a poncho, and a water bottle as tools. His first book, named after the project, is due out in 2017.

Tyson McDowell

Applied Futurist

Tyson McDowell is a serial tech entrepreneur focused on positively merging humans with AI-driven technologies. His first success was a software business he co-founded at 19 and exited in 2016, now called Avadyne Health. There he held the positions of CTO, CEO and President. He currently operates Lead Wingman, a venture studio incubating early stage tech companies that leverage AI-driven information streams to improve the human condition. Focus areas include health cost containment, sustainable nutrition, and future of work. Tyson is a certified fixed wing, helicopter and military jet pilot, and built the plane he commutes with. He is Vice Chair of the San Diego Air and Space Museum, and member of Young President’s Organization (YPO).